21 Comments

This KLR video brought out many feelings I think motorcyclist may have in them but due to finances, time or space must stick to just one or 2 bikes. Sometimes we feel like dressing up,sometimes we need to dress up in layers, sometimes we like lounging around in a t-shirt…

I liked this Paris-Dakar video by a French motojournalist on a brand new VFR1200.
(It is in French but you can see the remote sites he takes the bike)

I think this guy has nailed it. He’s not a poser like so many out there. I have to admire him. He’s not taken in by the latest gimmicks, that we’ve been brainwashed into thinking we need to survive. Technology will not save us, it will enslave us. I may have to buy one of these. Thanks for the video.

I thought so too. It’s beautiful to NOT have the feeling of dread just because your bike falls over into the dirt while your standing in a creek up to you knees soakin your feet or kicked back on a rock looking up at the blue sky through trees. The ultimate DS bike does everything pretty well without asking a whole lot from it’s owner. It doesn’t care, nor does it matter, if the oil is real fresh. The tires aren’t crisp, the finish is pretty dull. There’s likely dirt from several states (maybe continents!) on it at the same point in time. But three kicks….and it always starts. There is so much luxury in simplicity.

Well sorry cannot relate to the statement of having more fun than anyone else, just because its such a basic worn out old bike , like he has got the edge somehow.. its not about any motorcycle its about the ride pavement or off road , chrome or plastic, it does not matter… and to suggest that the only way to go is by an old KLR or such is just poo..and perhaps just an excuse.

That’s EXACTLY why you ride dual-sport, and the KLR is the entry for so many. Can NOT understand the massive GS: Admire the hell out of it, but can not figure out how to ride even dirt roads without having the physique of an NFL lineman (or that much $$$ for parts and service).

Very cool. I have riding buddies (when I can coax them to take time out of their “busy” lives to actually go out and ride) who worry way too much about the shine and doo-dads on their bikes…or that they might arrive home too late for dinner.

I had a love/hate relationship with my modified KLR. I loved the places I went with the beast and the things I did with it. But I hated the weak brakes and suspension and barely adequate power.

Whenever I jumped on the old paint shaker at the start of each ride I was totally underwhelmed by the lack of any kind of performance, but as I carried on a funny thing always happened. The ride always became less about the bike and more about the adventure and when I did finish one of my adventures, I always had a smile on my face.

The bike was always ridden hard and put away wet without issue. And I of course never had to worry about putting another scratch on the green beast, it only added more character.

Some days I think it would be great to have the KLR back, and then I shake my head remember why I sold it. I wanted more motorcycle and got a proper dirt bike and street bike instead.

I think most motorcyclist can relate to adventure. Exploring new paths and roads to new land and vistas. But to be real today, there are far fewer lands open to off-roading than in the past. So many areas are closed to motorcycles and other motored equipment, not like when I was young. Those that aren’t closed can be ridden on, although more leasurely, on many street bikes rather than having the need for a KLR type bike.

If you still live in an area with open land to ride consider yourselves lucky.

I rode a buddy’s KLR 650 last Sunday. Other than having to hop from side to side to hold it up (I know, that wouldn’t happen if God gave me normal length legs) it was a fun ride in a crude/paint shakerish/what is that in my rear view mirror kind of way. Wish I were tall enough to enjoy these adventure bikes, I’d love to add one to the stable.

I can relate to the video and the KLR. It is the one bike in my garage that will still be there after my other bikes are gone or replaced. It is one ugly bike but it takes me anywhere I want to go, never fails and I don’t worry about cosmetic damage or theft.